A grandmother of six was released from captivity in Gaza on Friday just a few days after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group had announced that she was dead.
Hanna Katzir, 77, was a shock inclusion in a list of 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas.
In total, 25 hostages were released on Friday as the guns fell silent in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven weeks. The released hostages included four children under 10 and six women aged over 70, according to a list released by the Israeli government.
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An American child is expected to be freed in the coming days–along with two more U.S. citizens—as hostage releases got underway as part of a four-day ceasefire.
The 13 Israelis, who were handed to the International Red Cross on Friday, are part of a group of 50 hostages whose freedom has been negotiated in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and a four-day ceasefire.
On top of that, Thailand’s government also announced that 12 of its nationals had also been released in the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt. “Hamas made a gesture to also release some Thai foreigners,” a source close to Hamas told Agence France-Presse.
The ceasefire in Gaza after almost two months of carnage began at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET). The steady rumble of trucks bringing aid into the beleaguered enclave has been heard since early Friday morning.
At least 60 trucks have been reported entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing so far. One of the vehicles carrying goods from an Egyptian NGO was draped in a banner that read: “For our brothers in Gaza.”
Only a trickle of aid has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 massacre, leaving Palestinian civilians in desperate need of supplies, fuel and medication.
The Israeli Defense Force reminded Palestinians that the ceasefire was only a brief cessation of hostilities and civilians will not be allowed to return to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip to collect supplies or additional clothing as the weather turns wintry.
“The war is not over yet,” spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X. “The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south.”
Those still in the north of the Strip will be allowed to move south over the next four days so long as they use the main Salah al-Din Road.
Six hospitals in Israel are on standby with pediatric care and mental health counselors ready to take care of the hostages who have suffered an extraordinary trauma. Israel’s Ministry of Health has said that the hospitals will be banned from releasing any photos or information about the condition of the hostages as they are nursed back to health.
In return for the hostage release, Israel will release 150 prisoners, mostly women and teenagers, who are being held on minor charges including throwing stones.
